Neurobiology of Nutrition Laboratory

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Past News & Announcements 

• Dr. Andrew Shin secured Diabetes Action Foundation grant in 2024 to study "Acute effects of BCAAs on glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and the underlying mechanisms".
  Fereshteh Dehghani presented her research findings "Short-term exposure to BCAAs impairs brown adipose tissue thermogenesis" at ObesityWeek in San Antonio in 2024.
• Zobayda Haque received a prestigious Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience (SFN). She presented her findings on "Circulating BCAAs are linked to Alzheimer's disease-related cognitive deficits" at the conference in Chicago in 2024. Congratulations!
• Marjan Ramezan presented her research findings on "Sex differences in brain glucose metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease" at SFN in Chicago in 2024.
  Fereshteh Dehghani presented her research findings on "Short-term exposure to BCAAs increases hedonics for sucrose" at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) in July 2024.
• Dr. Andrew Shin received a Certificate of Recognition from the Faculty Mentorship Academy in 2024.
• Marjan Ramezan received Elizabeth F. Smith Scholarship from the Nutritional Sciences Department and Summer Thesis Award from the Graduate School in 2024. Congratulations!
• Harsh Shah is the first author of an original research article published in Nature - Nutrition & Diabetes in 2024, “BCAAs acutely drive glucose dysregulation and insulin resistance: Role of AgRP neurons". Congratulations!
• Dr. Andrew Shin published a review article in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism in 2024, "Obesity-induced tissue alterations resist weight loss: A mechanistic review".
• Dr. Andrew Shin received a Cross-Disciplinary Research Excellence Award in 2024 for his proposal to study "Transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation to treat obesity" with Dr. Jingfei Liu from Mechanical Engineering.
• Fereshteh Dehghani presented her poster on "Short-term exposure to BCAAs increases hedonics for sucrose" at 23rd TTU Graduate Research Poster Competition in April 2024.
• Zobayda Haque presented her poster on "Circulating BCAAs are associated with cognitive decline and metabolic dysregulation in APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease" at 23rd TTU Graduate Research Poster Competition in April 2024.
• Harsh Shah is the first author of an original research article published in Nutrients in 2023, “Reduction of plasma BCAAs following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is mediated by FGF21”. Congratulations!
• Dr. Andrew Shin gave an invited seminar at the Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Seoul National University, South Korea, on "Acute effects of BCAAs on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity" in December 2022.
• Dr. Andrew Shin gave an invited seminar at the Department of Medicine, Seoul National University, South Korea, on "A novel metabolic approach to treat Alzheimer's disease" in December 2022.
• Caitlyn Mullins has successfully defended her doctoral thesis on “BT2 as a novel therapeutic compound for Alzheimer’s disease”. Congratulations!!
• Our Alyssa Kramer has been accepted to the Medical School at Baylor University. Congratulations!
• Harsh Shah is the first author of a review article now published in Antioxidants, “Revisiting the role of vitamins and minerals in Alzheimer’s disease”. Congratulations!
• Dr. Andrew Shin received Apple Polishing Award from Texas Tech Mortar Board for excellence in mentoring.
• Caitlyn Mullins presented her work on “A BCAA-lowering agent BT2 alleviates Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology and delays cognitive decline in 5xFAD mouse model” at Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Conference, November 2022.
• Caitlyn Mullins & Ritchel Gannaban, two doctoral students in the lab, have been awarded with Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Abstract Recognition Award which recognizes the highest quality research presented by students and young investigators at the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) conference, 2022. Congratulations!
• Dr. Andrew Shin is appointed as an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Nutrition & Frontiers in Psychology.
• Dr. Andrew Shin is nominated for TTU Alumni Association New Faculty Award.
• Alyssa Kramer, a senior undergraduate student in the lab, received an Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award for her poster presentation, “FGF21 mediates restored BCAA metabolism following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery in mice” at TTU Undergraduate Research Conference in March 2022. Congratulations!
• Alyssa Kramer is the recipient of Sarah Kulkofsky Scholarship for her outstanding research. Congratulations!
• Caitlyn Mullins is the recipient of Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) from the Society for Neuroscience (SFN) conference that was held on November 8-12, 2021. Congratulations!
• Caitlyn Mullins presented her work on “A BCAA-lowering compound reverses metabolic dysregulation and enhances cortical insulin signaling in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease” at the SFN meeting, November 2021.
• Md Abu Bakkar Siddik presented his work on “BCAA restriction improves cognition and systemic metabolism in APP/PS1 mouse model for AD” at the SFN meeting, November 2021.
• Zobayda Farzana Haque joined our N2 laboratory as a Nutritional Sciences doctoral student. Welcome!
• Zobayda Farzana Haque is the recipient of SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program award. Congratulations!
• Dr. Shin's research is featured on the Diabetes Action Foundation research page for his current study aiming to identify and test the role of specific neuronal populations within the MBH for BCAA regulation. https://diabetesaction.org/current-research
• Ritchel B. Gannaban is the first author of our research findings now published in Diabetes, "Central regulation of branched-chain amino acids is mediated by AgRP neurons". Congratulations!
• Dr. Ganga Baskar, a previous postdoctoral fellow in the lab, is appointed as the Commercialization Program Director in the Innovation Hub at TTU. Congratulations!
• Harsh Shah was highlighted in the COHS News (9/4/20): https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/news/posts/2020/student/ns-graduate-student-testimonial-research-opportunities-harsh-shah.php
• Ritchel B. Gannaban was selected as a Helen Hodges Scholar from Helen Hodges Educational Charitable Trust. Congratulations!
• Dr. Andrew Shin secured a grant from the Diabetes Action Foundation, "Understanding BCAA regulation – a step toward deciphering diabetes".
• Caitlyn Mullins is the first author of our review paper in Antioxidants, "Neural Underpinnings of Obesity: The Role of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in the Brain". Congratulations!
• Dr. Andrew Shin secured an NIA R21 grant from the NIH, "BCAAs as a novel biomarker and treatment for Alzheimer's disease".
• Our paper "Metformin effectively restores the HPA axis function in diet-induced obese rats" was accepted by the International Journal of Obesity – Nature.
• Ritchel B. Gannaban joined the lab as a new Ph.D. student with a Distinguished Graduate Student Assistantship. Congratulations and welcome!
• Our paper "Personalized nutrition for management in micronutrient deficiency – literature review in non-bariatric populations and possible utility in bariatric cohort" was published in Obesity Surgery.
• Marie Mattern was selected to give an oral presentation on "Dissecting mechanisms of improved BCAA metabolism following RYGB surgery in diet-induced obese mice" at the ObesityWeek Conference in November 2020. Congratulations!